A Blossoming Love
by BookCaseGirl
Summary: Long awaited prequel to "An Undying Love." The beginning of Krunior's dating and watching their love bloom, all leading up to a very big moment.
1. The Beginning

A/N: Alright, everyone! Long time coming... here is the prequel! I am so so so so so (you get the picture) sorry for making the wait so long. Long story short, I lost the drive to write. I just wasn't motivated anymore. Well, we have state wide testing this week, so that means a LOT less homework. This chapters a little short since I'm just getting back into the groove of things, but expect a little longer ones in the future!!!

Happy to be back!

~Abby :)

"So, Kris, I think its time you stop ignoring your completely obvious feelings for me and we just go out. I mean, it's really harmless," Junior said, with his signature smirk of cockiness.

"So, Junior, I think its time you get over yourself and ignore your need to prove I'll sleep with you," Kris shot back, picking up the brush to groom her beloved horse, Wildfire.

Junior feigned a look of hurt, bringing his hand to his heart. "Kris! Honestly, I really like you..." he trailed off. He really wasn't sure what else to say. Part of him knew she was right, he just had something to prove. He just didn't know if she was right about _what_ he had to prove. He turned around and left, needing some time alone. Just him and his thoughts.

Kris watched as Junior left. She was surprised at how well he took the very plain hint this time. He didn't persist, as he always managed to.

"Hey! Porsche boy! Get your ass back here! You're not getting off that easy!" Kris yelled just as he was about to hop into the driver's seat of his expensive car.

Junior closed his door and walked back over to her, inwardly smiling. She _did_ have some feeling for him, even if it was a hostile one. He felt a little jolt in his step, but quickly toned it down. He had to play it cool. Couldn't seem too happy she'd called him back over. Couldn't seemed completely thrillingly overjoyed that she cared.

"Alright, what's with you?" Kris demanded, a little harshly, to her surprise. "I mean, ah, well, why did you just leave it at that? The playboy Junior I know, or at least think I know, would've kept prodding until I broke and punched you." She saw the look on his face and said, "Or something."

Junior smiled broadly. He couldn't help it. She brought it out of him. Made happiness rise from the depths of his mind and body whenever she was around. This time, he even felt a little half hearted laugh escape from his slightly chapped lips.

"Kris, despite what you think, I do actually like you. I feel like I have something to prove, you're right about that. But what you're wrong about is what I have to prove. Maybe I have something to prove to myself, did you ever think of that?" Junior gaped and then snapped his mouth shut, surprised at his overwhelmingly honest statement.

"Really? Well, then, Davis, I may just take you up on your offer sometime soon. That is, if you really mean what you say," she eyed him up and down skeptically, a small smile slowly stretching from the left side of her strawberry lip-glossed lips to the right.

"Ok, then. Play it by ear, Furillo?" Junior said playfully, happy to follow her lead.

"You got it," she said. He left and she felt herself laugh as she watched his black speed demon race down the driveway of Raintree. She picked up the rake and started pulling it through the muck in the stall, looking over at Wildfire, who neighed contentedly in response.

As I said, short. But soon I will update! ANd it will be longer! You can count on that! Notice I didn't say tomorrow... ik everyone... but soon. and Not months, or weeks, even. just a few days, I swear!!! please review! I'm glad to be back!


	2. Preparations

She sat on her bed, prepping herself. It was _the_ big day. As Kris sat twiddling her thumbs, racing uniform on, she pondered what to wear that evening.

_No Kris, _she scolded, focus_ on what's ahead of you. Its a big race, your first race. And Wildfire, he must be ten times more nervous. No, no, he's a horse. And a confident one at that. I wonder if Junior'll be there..._

She forced that thought out of her mind, shaking her head violently and kicking her ankle on the back of the bed, banging her calf. She felt tears instantly spring to her eyes. That had hurt. She lifted her sock-clad ankle up and saw that there was a trickle of blood, drawing a thin line from about halfway up her lower leg down to the bottom of her ankle. She looked down at her bed where she'd hit herself and saw a sharp spring sticking out.

"Damn old beds," she muttered under her breath, put three fingers to her mouth and slightly wetting them, then placing them on her wound.

It wasn't as bad as it had looked. Just a small cut. She only had to spray a bit of the horrifically stinging Bactine on her slit before putting a small bandage on.

Kris walked over to her mirror and examined herself, head to toe. She noticed a small clump of her hair had gone astray from her oh-so-perfect ponytail. She tucked it behind her ear, and then, unsatisfied, took the hair-tie holding her thick locks out, heaving a sigh of frustration.

When she had combed and smoothed to her little heart's content and her hair was again perfect, she slipped the brown band around her gathered hair four times, and then flipped the ponytail that now lay at the nape of her neck in front of her shoulder. She squinted her eyes in an effort to look tough, but then saw through herself and watched through the reflecting glass as he eyes shone bright.

She sniffled and shook her head, closing her eyes and rolling them in the back of her head to keep from crying. She wouldn't cry. Even tears of joy. Or nervousness. She wasn't quite sure which, yet.

She was nervous, though. Scared, more like. Scared of losing. The Ritters had put so much on the line for her, letting her race. If she didn't win this race for them... well, it wouldn't be good.

_Good thoughts... Good thoughts, Kris. C'mon, good thoughts. You crossing the finish line, waving that baton in the air, Wildfire neighing in triumph after you've won... Yeah, that's it..._

She looked back up into the mirror and smiled at herself, confident now more than ever. She was happy now. Her mind was cleared of the evening that she faced with Junior afterwards. Whatever happened, happened. Kris had no control over it. Win or lose, she would still have a great time with Junior. Not that he would find that out. At least if she had anything to say about it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Junior rolled off of his comfortable, soft, bed and onto his carpeting with a loud _thump_ that morning. He looked over at his bed and let out a somewhat sad sigh that there was no blond. It'd been so long since one of those beautiful godesses had lay down in his bed. And how much he missed it.

Then his mind went to Kris and the night she had helped him plan. The club, then out under the stars. A little romantic for the old Junior's taste, but for the new love-struck Junior, it was perfect.

He took a moment to glance over at the clock that hung on the wall to the left of his wall and had to take a double take. It was 11 o'clock already! He had to get to the race.

"Dammit!" he yelped as he leaped up off the floor and shuffled quickly over to his chest-of-drawers, yanking the top drawer open and pulling out pants. Then he pulled open the second from the bottom drawer and got out a light green shirt.

He forcefully pulled on the pants over his Titanic boxers and then, without bothering to button it, his dress shirt.

Junior fell out the door and down the steps, reading the clock by the stove. 11:15. Eight hours. Just eight hours until the most perfect night of his life. Or so he hoped.

A/N: Ok, apparently I'm nicer than I thought.... I was extremely, devastatingly bored, so I just spit this out. I hope you guys liked it. I'm really lovin' the story so far, myself, but please review and tell me what you think!! Thats what matters the most, after all. Thanks, everyone! :)


	3. Delay

**A/N: **Uhm, wow. -Shy- Hiiii everyone. I looked at the date; this hasn't been updated in a good what, five months or so? I'd like to think that my writing has improved a bit...length and otherwise. I'm hoping that people don't completely hate me and will read this? I kinda just got off of Wildfire for a while, but I was bored and started watching an episode, and then I got an overwhelming craving to write a new chapter to this. I'm not exactly sure how constant this will be; we shall see :) Thanks guys!

Oh, and I have a bit of a different format than before...just part of how I've changed, haha.

P.S.: I don't own Wildfire or any of its characters.

_Delay_

Junior stood outside her door, nervously bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. He rang the doorbell once more for good measure before breathing deeply through his nose and attempting relaxation.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the door swung open.

It wasn't Kris that answered, however. Junior was incredibly surprised to see his sister at the door, her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail and dressed in a simple sweat suit. He stumbled back a couple of steps and yanked his head back in confusion, blinking his eyes a couple of times.

"D-Dani? What are you doing here? It's almost seven. Kris and I have-" Junior began to say, but Dani's look cut him off immediately. It was a look of slight concern.

"A date, I know Junior. Kris called me over to help. She's an absolute mess right now; I think you should come back in a bit," Dani said, stepping outside so that the conversation couldn't be heard by anyone else.

"Um...Okay," Junior said, furrowing his brows in perplexity.

"Junior, just don't ask questions, alright?" Dani said. She had begun to shove him out of the way and off the steps. He didn't fight back and strode back to his car, trying to keep a suave demeanor.

He could tell that he was failing miserably.

*****

"Is he gone?" Kris asked, smoothing her wet hair back behind her ears with a fine toothed comb. Combing or brushing her hair always served to calm her when she was nervous or upset. Any negative feeling or happening in her life was solved with the soothing strokes that a comb provided.

"Yeah. Care to tell me why I came over here on a night when I could have been vegging and watching _Breakfast at Tiffany's_?" Dani asked, a small smile creeping onto her round face as she walked over to sit on Kris's bed.

"I'm just so damn nervous. I mean...It's been...a while since I've been on a date, Dani. And Junior seems to be a little difficult to please," Kris said, shaking her head and running her hand over the smooth surface of her vanity.

"Kris, please believe me when I say that Junior is never like this. He walks around the house with a completely unprecedented goofy smile on his face; he'll start staring off into space without any warning...He _plays_ with his _food_ at meals," she finished with a tinkly laugh.

Kris joined in on her laughter with her own nervous chuckle. She was still slightly uneasy about everything. It just seemed like she was another toy of his; another object that would serve as entertainment, but would be tossed to the side in no time.

"Trust me; you don't have anything to worry about," Junior's petite sister said comfortingly, standing up to stretch.

"Do you think he's still out there?" Kris asked.

"If I know my brother, he is totally still out there. Probably sitting in his Porsche, pondering what the hell is going on inside this trailer," Dani answered, rolling her eyes sarcastically.

"Can you get him?" she asked. A nod of Dani's head answered her and she smiled broadly.

Maybe the night wouldn't be so bad. If the things Dani had said were true, she was in for one great date. It would be just the thing for her to move on with her life.

It would be just the thing for her to find another man who wanted to move on with her. Who wanted to make a life with her; yes, this was what Kris needed.

*****

He tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel nervously, thinking about Dani's words. It didn't make sense. Kris always went along with the banter; she was always game for anything that he started. Almost anything, that is.

Why would she be nervous now?

He was jarred from his thoughts by a knock on the rolled-up window of his black sports-car. Dani stood just outside, foot tapping impatiently and arms crossed over her chest. She looked just like the little sister that she was, anxious as ever and with energy like an unrelenting pixie.

"What do you want, sister dearest?" Junior asked, rolling the window down with a tired sigh.

"Kris is ready for you," Dani said simply with a shrug of her shoulders.

He eyed her dubiously and suspiciously, trying to decide whether or not she was screwing with him. As he looked her face up and down, he saw not one trace of dishonesty or attempted sabotage. Dani wasn't really that clever anyway.

"Fine. I'll be seeing you," he muttered, shoving her out of the way with his cardoor. She gave a protesting grunt and tried to push back, but she proved as weak as always and tripped over the dirt on the ground with a squeak.

*****

Kris fidgeted with a sparkling layer of her purple dress as she shifted from one foot to the other. She pulled the stretchy fabric away from her body, and then watched as it whipped back when she let go. It was amazing how fascinating normally mundane things became when you were unbearably nervous.

She heard footsteps on the porch and inhaled deeply, letting the breath out through her nose at a slow pace.

It would be a long night, that was for sure.

**A/N: **So yeah....It was a little short for a comeback. I hope everyone sort of liked it? Thanks again :)

Oh, and in case you didn't know. There's this thing called a review button right below this...If you push it and tell me what you think, it makes me unbearably happy! :D


	4. A Not So Bad First Date

**A/N: **Apparently five months is a theme, here. I'm not sure how this'll turn out, but I hope it doesn't disappoint everyone. I'll try to keep up a bit more...just feeling nostalgic and if I finish this off maybe I'll be able to sleep at night (; Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Wildfire or any of its characters.

Junior rang the doorbell anxiously, bouncing on his feet. When it swung open to reveal a beautiful – that was almost a crude term for how gorgeous she looked – Kris he could only gape. A pink color spread throughout her cheeks and she ducked her head. The modesty she showed surprised Junior sometimes; a girl like her didn't seem the type to do something like that.

"You look...amazing," he whispered. She thanked him and then grasped the hand he had offered. He noticed with a shock that his hand was embarrassingly sweaty. Kris showed no signs of caring, and simply held his hand until they got to his Porsche. He pulled the sleek black door open for her and she smiled at him as she climbed in.

"So, where are we going?" she asked after they'd been driving for a while.

"Seriously? You just asked me that question expecting an answer?" Junior replied, his mouth twisting upward into a smile. Kris nodded furiously, her bouncy curls shaking all around her head before falling in her face. "It's a surprise." His voice was defiant and firm, and she didn't ask him anything more about the location or the substance of their date for the rest of the car ride.

The silence felt like a huge barbell weighing down on him, so Junior decided to speak once again (though it really should have been her turn).

"Are ya nervous?" he asked, knees bouncing up and down.

"Yeah, like I'd tell _you_!" Kris replied, smiling at him and shaking her head. He fixed her with a serious expression, and she turned her head to the window, voice soft as she finished. "But...for the record, I am a little. Mostly excited though." Her voice was strong by the end of the sentence and she beamed at him again.

Junior wanted to bottle up her smile. If this continued – and he hoped to god that it would continue for a very, _very _long time – he wanted to have that to throw back in her face when she was angry at him (inevitable since he made mistakes) and also when she just couldn't cheer up at all. All he wanted was her happiness, and they hadn't even known each other very long. The thoughts and feelings he was having almost scared him.

Finally, they pulled up to the steakhouse where Junior had reserved a table earlier that afternoon. The parking lot was packed, but he managed to squeeze his expensive car into a spot – though it was far away from the door and he noticed Kris glance down at her heel-adorned feet with a pitying glance. Pulling out his best gentleman behavior – it was dusty since he hadn't been out on a date in a while, and yes he was aware of how embarrassing that was – he strode over to her side of the car and opened the door, pulling her out.

She kept her hand in his all the way to the door. Though Junior was sure that it was mostly for reassurance that she wouldn't fall in her towering shoes, it still felt nice not to lose the comfortable warmth that her soft hand gave him.

"Reservations under Davis," he told the hostess formally, the tone of his voice surprising him a bit.

"Right this way, sir," she replied, giving him a small smile. The woman placed their menus on the table – one across from the other – and they both sat down (Junior figured there were only so many gentlemanly things he could do before Kris started making fun of him; therefore, he didn't pull out her chair, and she didn't object either).

_**********_

"Have you been here before?" Kris asked Junior quietly, looking up at him from above her maroon menu.

"Once or twice with my dad and a few of his business associates," Junior responded, shrugging his shoulders and smirking at her.

"Well, what do you recommend?" She said, giving him a shy smile when he raised his eyebrows at her request.

"The rib-eye is decent. Their chicken cordon blue is the best in the tri-state area, though."

"Then I'll get that," Kris replied, surprised at the bubbly sound to her voice – she never sounded _bubbly_!

They ordered after about ten minutes and when their food came, Kris felt her stomach give a satisfied lurch. The food looked _amazing_, and the first bite certainly did not disappoint. The chicken swished around in her mouth, and she washed it down with a swallow of the expensive red wine that Junior had bought for them to drink with dinner.

For a first date, this was surprisingly..._not _disastrous. And Kris was so very thankful for that.

**End Note: **This was short again...possibly shorter than the last. But I swear on my _life _that I'll get another chapter up super-soon (: Hope this satisfied everyone!


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